#arthur havisham dickensian

[dingusfreakhxrrington]

Please Don't Go, Pt. 2

paring: arthur havisham x m!reader

summary: when he finds out his beloved sister is set to marry a crook, arthur finally asks you for help

warnings: alcohol consumption/alcoholism, mentions of injury, mugging, inferred sex, mentions of depression, suicide attempt, lots of angst with a little fluff along the way

word count: 8.2k

a/n: this isn’t proofread so excuse any mistakes

part 1 | epilogue (coming soon)

friendly reminder that comments and reblogs are just as (if not more than) important as likes!

It had only been a day but the next time you saw Arthur you found yourself bumping into him in the street.

You’d been on your way to the three cripples to see him when you saw him come out of a nearby alley, followed by none other than Mr Compeyson who called after him as he stormed off.

You wasted not a second as you made your way to him, your pace quickening slightly as you hurried to catch up with him.

“Arthur!”

The moment his name fell from your lips he stopped and turned around, his glassy eyes setting on you almost instantly. He was still wearing it: the neckerchief you had gifted to him.

“What’s wrong?” your eyes searched for answers within his own as you stepped closer.

“He’s going to marry her.”

You furrowed your brows together, not quite getting what he was saying. “Who, Arthur? Who’s going to marry?”

You could see the frustration in his features, the pain in his face as he spoke, “Compeyson. Amelia is going to marry Compeyson.”

“What? They’ve hardly known each other long enough to marry.”

“Try telling her that…” The anger in his voice dulled out as he started to walk again, this time with you by his side.

You sighed. “I don’t doubt Amelia’s judgement but I know you and I know there must be a reason you object to their union so much. I saw the two of you a moment ago in that alleyway, is this what you were discussing?”

His eyes widened and he turned back to you, stopping in his tracks once again as he worried you had gotten the wrong idea.

“It’s not like that. I- he… you’re the only one I care for.” His voice was quiet so as not to draw any attention to the two of you.

You reached out, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I know, Arthur. I’d never question that. I only meant to ask why you think so poorly of their union. I do not know Mr Compeyson well enough myself. You’ve had more time to get to know him.”

“He… He’s a bad man, y/n. They can’t marry, can’t even get engaged. He will only hurt her.”

“Bad how, Arthur? Is he the one who hurt you? Has he hurt Amelia?”

Arthur shook his head although the look behind his eyes was enough for you to know Compeyson had certainly harmed him in one way or another. “No. He has not hurt Amelia but he will. He only wants her money, I know that much.”

You grabbed hold of his coat, tugging him into a nearby alley just as Compeyson had done only moments before.

The two of you were only inches apart yet he still managed to avoid your eyes when you asked, “You didn’t answer my first question. Has he hurt you?”

There was a fire in your voice that licked at his heart, feeling as if you were squeezing it in your hand. He felt cornered although he knew there was no use in hiding the truth from you any longer.

The nod of his head was so subtle you could have missed it. His eyes never once looked up to meet yours, not until you tapped a finger against the bottom of his chin, raising his face to look at you.

“If he ever lays a hand on you again-”

“He won’t. It was my fault. If I hadn’t said those things to Amelia-”

“No matter what you said to your sister he had no right to beat you, Arthur.”

Again, his head hung low as his eyes cast down, fixating on a button on your coat.

“I know,” he mumbled as he tried to put a little distance between the two of you.

You only stepped closer and, if it hadn’t been for the street that was growing busier by the second, you would have kissed him or even simply just held him in your arms.

Instead, all you could do was stand by him, looking at him with nothing but love in your eyes as you tried to reassure him with your words alone. “You need to have more value for yourself, Arthur. No one, and I mean no one at all, ever has the right to hurt you like that.”

“I know. I just- I was drunk and I didn’t expect it and I… I couldn’t do anything to stop him. I- I-”

His voice was broken, crumbling more with every word. If you were never to see Arthur this way again it would still be too soon. You just wanted him to be happy, wanted him to know he was loved.

“Damn it, damn it all.”

With those words, you jerked forward and encased him in your arms. You no longer cared if anyone saw you or what they might think. You were from one of the most influential families in London — no, in the entire country — and you were not going to let Arthur stand there and break down before you without so much as holding him as he wept.

He melted into your embrace, letting you hold him so tightly in the cold, narrow alley. He too no longer cared, not at that moment at least. He just needed you. He needed to feel your warmth, to have you close.

When he was in your arms it was the only time he ever truly felt safe. Safe from the world. Safe from his debts. Safe from Compeyson.

“Have you spoken to Amelia about this? Does she know? Surely she would not marry a man she knew had harmed you,” you asked as you stepped away, moving to wipe the tears from his eye with the cool pad of your thumb.

“No, she can’t know. She can never know.”

You were only growing more confused as every answer he gave strived to avoid telling you the whole truth. There was so much more to what was going on between him and Mr Comperyson, you were sure of it, but Arthur still wasn’t ready to tell you.

“Why not? Arthur, please tell me. I want to help you, I want to be there for you.”

“You are there for me… more than anyone else ever has been or will be. But this… this I can’t tell you. Not yet. Please, you must understand. It will only worsen my predicament if you get involved.”

He was finally looking at you of his own accord, his big round eyes boring into your own as he pleaded with you.

You released a hum, although you certainly did not like the idea of him facing whatever trouble he was in alone. “I will not press you for answers if you are not ready to give them. Just remember I am here, Arthur. Always. If you need anything, all you need do is knock on my door.”

𓆩♡𓆪

A day later and you were back at his lodgings again. In your haste to see him, rather than knock, you simply opened the door and walked inside.

To your utmost surprise, Arthur was not alone. Mr Compeyson sat with him, talking about something that had abruptly come to a halt the moment you walked inside with a call of Arthur’s name.

“Mr y/l/n, what a surprise.”

As usual, Compeyson spoke with a smile but your eyes only fell to Arthur who was sitting backwards on a chair. His shirt was pulled up revealing his back which was now covered in more wounds than before.

“How dare you lay a hand on him!” You were already moving, cane raised as you came to Arthur’s defence.

Compeyson only backed away with raised arms and furrowed brows, his lips already stringing together excuses.

You almost hadn’t noticed Arthur get up from where he had been sitting, wincing slightly as his shirt fell back down onto his cuts and scrapes.

He stood in front of you now, his hands on your chest as he drew your attention away from Mr Compeyson.

“It is true, y/n. He did not do this. I- I was mugged on the street,” his eyes never once left yours, trying to soothe the anger that resided within them, “I swear it, he did not do this.”

You took a hold of his chin and gently turned his face as your fingers brushed lightly over the fresh bruise on his cheek.

“You were mugged? Out on the street?”

He pulled his face out of your grasp, looking away as he spoke, “Yes. Now, what is it you came here to discuss?”

You glanced at Mr Compeyson, noticing the way he seemed to be sizing up every interaction between the two of you, and chose your words carefully.

“I wanted to tell you I have made the necessary preparations for you to come and live with me until you have sorted things out with Amelia. Seeing you now only confirms that you cannot stay here any longer.”

“I think he is perfectly fine where he is, he should be returning home soon anyway so there is no need for him to go anywhere,” Compeyson butted into your conversation, seemingly determined for Arthur to remain right where he was, where he could succumb to harm again.

You ignored him completely, speaking only to Arthur. “Please, Arthur. This part of town is not safe. You are like a brother to me, let me look after you until you can return home.”

When Arthur turned around it was not to look at you but rather Mr Compeyson. He had a look of unsureness in his eyes but he nodded his head nonetheless.

“Thank you, y/n. I need to attend to some business with Mr Compeyson today but I will collect my things for the morning.”

You dismissed him with a wave of your hand. “No need. I will have your things brought up while you are out. Once you’ve finished your business there will be a carriage waiting for you here to bring you home.”

“Thank you, Mr y/l/n. Arthur is lucky to have a friend like you.”

Although you detested the man and his false smiles, you forced your own onto your face and bid him farewell before you left.

𓆩♡𓆪

“I am like a brother to you?”

His head bobbed slightly with the movement of your chest when you chuckled. “You know I only said that so that he would not suspect anything.”

He hummed, smiling as you lightly tapped each of his fingers before threading yours through them, pulling his hand to your lips.

“Please, tell me, my love. What is bothering you? I know something is on your mind, you’ve been distracted since you arrived.”

Arthur only shook his head, the sheets pooling around his waist as he sat up and ran a hand through his hair.

When he sighed it was a lengthy breath, one weighed down by everything he was still keeping from you.

“He is still going to marry her, even after…” He hesitated for a moment, still undecided of whether he was going to say his next words.

You sat up too now, feeling a slight chill from the winter air that was seeping back in through the cracks in the windowsill. Your hand came to rest on the small of his back, gentle to avoid the cuts and scrapes that still darkened his snow-white skin.

“After what, Arthur? What have you been up to? What business did the two of you have today?”

He sighed again, another long, dark breath from his lips. Finally, he was ready to come clean.

“Mr Compeyson and I… Mr Compeyson was to help me get what was rightfully mine,” he finally admitted, “I employed him to help me get my inheritance from my sister. It… It was never supposed to go this far, I swear it, and today he convinced Amelia to buy my shares in the brewery. She shall buy them at double their price, giving me what I am owed but Compeyson… He-”

“He still intends to marry her, to rob her of all her fortune.”

You could hear him gulp, sweat forming on his forehead as he nodded. “Yes... Yes, and it is all my fault, y/n. Amelia will pay for the mistakes I made. For all of them.”

You pulled him closer, his head resting against your shoulder as you ran your fingers through his hair.

“It is not your fault. Compeyson is a slimy wretch of a man. He is to blame, Arthur. Not you.”

He pulled away from you, out of your embrace as his eyes found themselves looking anywhere but you once again. “But if I had never gotten him involved-”

“You were not to know. No one was. Mr Compeyson played you just as he is playing Amelia. If your father could see the wedge he forced between the two of you he would turn in his grave. He did not wish this for you, Arthur. No matter how much you may think he hated you.”

“He did hate me, is that not obvious?”

His eyes grew darker as he spoke, something akin to both fear and anger settling within the deepest depths.

“Oh, Arthur,” you sighed and reached out for his hand but he only pulled it away, “Your father did not hate you. He hated me. He would never blame you or denounce you. You are his son, Arthur. He loved you no matter what. It was me he hated, me he blamed.”

“But you are not to blame,” he spoke with such sureness now, his eyes fixed on you once again, “As you said before, you did not make me feel the way I do. These things just happen.”

“Indeed they do, my love, and they always work themselves out with time it seems.”

A soft hum fell from his lips and he let you put your arm around him as the two of you lay back down. His head rested atop your bicep as he curled into your side, his arm slung over you while he closed his eyes.

“Indeed they do,” he repeated your words with a gentle smile curling on his lips and slowly began to fall asleep.

You ran your fingers through his hair for a moment before pressing a kiss against his forehead and pulling him closer still. He was so warm, his soft skin like heaven to touch. He was still your Arthur even with the troubles he was now facing and he always would be your Arthur, no matter what the cruel strings of fate had in store for you.

𓆩♡𓆪

Arthur was gone in a hurry, leaving at the crack of dawn to get his money from Amelia and speak with Mr Compeyson. He hadn’t even had time for a proper breakfast, although that may have been in part due to the two of you sleeping in a little longer than intended.

So you sat and ate alone, quietly thanking Emma when she packed a snack for Arthur as he rushed out the door.

You knew he had a plan up his sleeve. Before he left he begged you not to interfere yourself, not directly at least. He did not want anyone to know of his scheme with Mr Compeyson and rightly so. Amelia was nothing if not forgiving but you knew even she would be stricken with anger if she knew what Arthur had done.

There had to be a way to break off their engagement without her ever finding out what Arthur had done or at least a way to lessen the blow when the truth finally came to light. Arthur had made a mistake, a grave one, but that did not mean it would do either of them any good to stray even further apart.

All you and Arthur wanted to do now was protect Amelia. Both her heart and her fortune. Compeyson was after both and he had already won her heart. There was little time before he had her fortune too.

He was gone for most of the day, to your surprise, but had returned by the time you arrived home after a late afternoon business meeting of your own. Although, you were not met with quite the greeting you had been hoping for.

Emma offered you that same soft smile she always did when you arrived home, glancing up at you as you entered the dining room for dinner. Her back straightened as she lifted one of the two empty plates, clearing Arthur’s spot from the table.

“He has gone?” you questioned with a sadness to your voice.

She shook her head. “Master Havisham is in your study, Sir. He seemed to be feeling unwell and asked to be left alone.”

“I see. I shall go and check on him.”

When Arthur left that morning he had been determined, sure of himself. You knew he had every intention to confront Compeyson and convince him to leave Amelia alone and you had every confidence in him to do exactly that. Only, it seemed Compeyson was more troublesome than you would have liked to have believed.

Arthur sat in your dimly lit study as though he were frozen in thought. He did not seem to notice you enter or perhaps he simply did not care. He sat facing away from you holding what looked to be a banker’s draft in his hand.

“Arthur?”

He hummed and turned his head to you ever so slightly but it was hard to make out his expression even under the flicker of dreary candlelight. Then, he sniffled and turned his attention back to the thin piece of paper in his hand.

It was with a sigh that you found yourself standing behind his chair, glancing over his shoulder at the note to find that Amelia had bought his shares for ten thousand pounds, which was much more than they were worth.

“Do you remember when we used to sneak in here as children? We’d sit giggling under this desk, hiding from your mother when she came to take you home,” you reminisced, running your fingers along the rich mahogany.

“I remember,” Arthur spoke with a bitter tone in his voice, pretending as though he were immune to what you were doing.

As you circled the desk, you thought back on your time as children again. This had been your father’s study once and he had been more than happy for you and Arthur to sit alongside him and play at being the businessmen you would one day become.

When you looked at Arthur now you were surprised to see a combination of both the child he once was and the man he could someday become. He sat with a scowl as though he had been throwing a tantrum only moments before, kicking and screaming and begging his mother to let him stay for just a little while longer. Snot glistened under his nose and fresh tears stained his cold cheeks.

“How about when we grew older and used this study as our refuge after my father passed? You held me in your arms as I wept.���

He turned away at this, as though he could not bear to face you for he now sat in your chair, your father’s chair, the very place you had sat and cried in grief all those years ago. He did not deserve his tears nor did he deserve you. This was all his fault, after all. If only he’d been stronger, smarter—

A chuckle tumbled from your throat, jolting him from his racing thoughts. “I remember when we argued, though I can hardly remember what it was about. We yelled at each other so loud that my mother shoved us in here to settle our differences, demanding we talk like men.”

With a roll of his eyes, he put the banker’s draft down and scoffed, “She wanted us to talk, you had other plans as I recall.”

You smiled fondly then, remembering how your heated exchange of words turned into, well, something else entirely. The two of you used to be so playful back then, so full of life. Now Arthur seemed more like a shell of who he used to be and that alone shattered your heart into a thousand pieces.

He sighed. “I know what you are trying to do.”

“And what is that?” you questioned with a smirk as you perched yourself on the side of the desk.

“You’re trying to distract me. To soothe me so that I will open up and tell you why I am sitting here in the dark feeling sorry for myself when I should be celebrating. I finally have what I was owed and should be rejoicing but here I am, drowning in my own sorrows.”

Your smile fell and you reached out, pulling his hand into your own. “Your talk with Compeyson did not go too well, I presume?”

Arthur glanced down at the ground, turning his head from you.

“No. It… He…” He turned mute as his voice trailed off and turned into shaky breaths.

“What is he holding over you? Surely you have more leverage over him than he does you. Talk to me, there must be something I can do.”

“You can do nothing!” Arthur snapped as he pulled his hand from yours and stood to his feet, shoving his banker’s draft into his pocket.

All you wanted was for him to speak to you. To tell you everything, every minute detail. That way you could help him. You knew there must have been something Compeyson was holding against him, preventing him from telling Amelia the truth, and it was not the threat that he, in turn, would tell Amelia of Arthur’s hand in all this. No, Arthur would rather his sister hate him than see her succumb to ruin over some crook.

“Please, Arthur. You are not alone in this. Let me help.” Your voice was calm still as you made your plea, all but begging him to truly let you in.

He may have come back to you — may have even been staying in your very home, your very bed — but he had still been keeping his walls up. They had started to come down one by one but you were still yet to fully break through.

His hand crumpled into a fist at his side, clutching tightly onto his coat as he spoke, “He… He knows. He knows about me, about what I am and if you get more involved he’ll find out about you too. Don’t you see? He’ll bring us both to ruin!”

You closed your eyes with a sigh and stepped closer to him again. “Arthur, I do not care what others say of me. Let him find out, who would believe his word over ours? After we expose him as a fraud he will be forced to leave London and you will finally be rid of him.”

He stood still as he contemplated your words. He knew you were right, you often were, and perhaps he was a fool not to have asked you for help sooner. If only he had come to you instead of Compeyson in the first place, then maybe all of this could have been avoided. If only he had forgiven you sooner. Forgiven himself.

“He has a wife,” Arthur finally spoke, breaking through the thick veil of silence.

Your eyes widened at the revelation. This was something you could use, so long as you could prove it. Mr Compeyson would not be able to marry Amelia if he was already bound to another, after all.

“I don’t know where she is staying but if we can find her, tell her that he plans to marry Amelia, maybe she will help us?”

“Maybe,” you hummed, rubbing your chin with your finger, “For now just try to stay out of Compeyson’s way. I will find out what I can but I do not what him hurting you again.”

The very next day you went off in search of whatever you could find about Meriwether Compeyson. In a few short hours, you had his home address and were promptly on your way there in hopes of finding his dear wife.

You glanced down at the parchment in your hand and checked the address again before raising your knuckles to the door. Just as you knocked, however, you were greeted by what seemed to be a passing stranger.

“Can I help you?”

The woman was pretty, that much you were sure, but she had a somewhat offputting aura about her. Sternly, she eyed you up as though she could see through you entirely.

“Ah, yes. I am looking for the woman who lives here, you wouldn’t happen to know where I could find her, would you?”

The stranger furrowed her brows and placed her hands on her hips. “A woman? No woman lives here. Just that man. Mr Compyeson, I believe he said his name was.”

Now it was your turn to frown as you glanced back at the door with a hum. “Oh, I was led to believe that Mr Compeyson is married. Perhaps I heard wrong.”

The woman smiled at you then but shook her head. “Not married but due to be. I heard he has his eye on a fair, wealthy woman. Miss Havisham, I believe.”

Although you were sure there was more to your encounter than first met the eye, there was little more you could have done to find out the truth at that moment so you bid the woman farewell and began to head home. You already had people looking into Mr Compeyson and you were sure to be alerted the moment anything came up so you supposed it was back to business again for the rest of the day.

By the afternoon Arthur was practically skipping through the door as he hurried to rid himself of his hat and coat and came to sit with you for lunch.

“I know I am a delight to spend time with but you’ve never looked this excited for lunch before. Not since we were children at least,” you chuckled, “What has got you in such a good mood?”

“She knows. Amelia knows that Compeyson is already married. I do not know how she found out but she did. She must have seen them together, she was so infatuated she would not have believed it if it came from someone else.”

You chuckled again, relieved that it was finally over and gestured to the large fruit he had placed down on the table beside him. “That explains the pineapple then. A present for Amelia, I presume?”

Arthur’s smile only widened when he nodded and reached across the table for some sandwiches, loading his plate for the first time in a long time. Since he’d left home he hadn’t been eating well. You had noticed as much. He was drinking more often than not and only ate in small portions so it was good to see him sober and stuffing his smiling face full of all the food you had prepared for the two of you that afternoon.

“So you are returning home then?” He hummed which prompted you to continue, “I can’t say I won’t miss having you here but I am glad the two of you will be by one another’s side again, as things should be.”

He grinned and spoke through a mouthful of food, “Try not to miss me too much. I am sure I’ll find plenty of excuses to come and see you. Perhaps we will embark on a business partnership and hold meetings that run late into the night.”

You couldn’t help but laugh again with cheeks full of life. It was the first time in a long while that you had felt truly happy. Reconciling with Arthur had just been the beginning and now that the stain of Meriwether Compeyson had been removed things would only continue to get better.

Or so you had hoped.

“Arthur?”

He stumbled through the door the next night. The stench of alcohol floated around him like a dark cloud when he flopped into bed beside you.

You hadn’t been expecting him to come home to you, not after he had gone back home, and rolled over to find him facing away from you. His shoulders shook slightly as he began to laugh but you knew tears already stained his face.

Instinctively, you threw your arm around him and curled up close to his side, nuzzling your head into the back of his neck, and his laughter soon turned to quiet sobs.

You needn’t ask what was wrong, not until morning, and decided it would be better to just hold him until finally, he fell asleep.

𓆩♡𓆪

“I will kill him!” he cried through gritted teeth, “First he worms his way into her life with lies and empty promises and now he defiles her. He will not live to see the next sunrise!”

Arthur paced up and down the room, ignoring the breakfast you had prepared for him. He looked about ready to kill someone and you supposed that was true, although you and he both knew that would do no one any good.

“Breathe, my love. Just breathe.” You tried to calm him down but little seemed to be working.

He was fuming, face red and contorted with anger. Though, you could not blame him. It had turned out that Arthur had returned home only to find his sister in bed with the very man the two of you were sure never to see again. Compeyson had worked his charm and spun his lies, convincing her yet again of his devout devotion to her. Arthur had returned to the three cripples after that and only come back to you once one entire day and night had passed.

“Mr Jaggers was snooping around and if he were to find anything on Compeyson he would… I had to…”

Your heart sank. “Arthur, what have you done?”

He could not meet your eyes, he was too ashamed to. He turned from you, picking up another bottle as he poured himself a glass of brandy.

“Arthur!” his eyes widened as you turned him to you in your frustration, spilling the contents of the glass out over the floor, and you were quick to release him when you realised just how scared he looked.

Now it was you who turned as you smoothed your fingers over the creases between your brows. “I’m sorry, Arthur, but you are a fool if you have prevented Mr Jaggers from finding anything on Compeyson.”

He slumped down into a dining room chair, eyes trained firmly on the ground once again. “I know… I know but he will tell him. Compeyson will tell Jaggers about me, about you. I think… I think he knows about us. If Jaggers finds out—”

“I don’t care, Arthur. Have I not made that perfectly clear? To hell with it, if people know about us, at least the lies will finally end!”

He was shocked to find that you were willing to risk so much for him but he could not bear it. He could not bear bringing harm to you or your good name. He had already ruined himself, he would not bring scandal to you as well.

“Then it is not I who is the fool.”

He spoke under his breath but the words were still a sharp stab through your heart.

“Arthur…”

“I shall return to my lodgings and deal with this myself. Forget I ever came to you. This is my problem, I will solve it.”

He was standing before you had time to protest, already collecting his things as he hurried out the door. You chased after him, of course, but he was a stubborn man and there was nothing you could do but watch after him as he fled down the street.

In the days leading up to the wedding, you searched for Arthur. You even stood outside his lodgings banging on his door despite knowing he would not open it to you. Every time he saw you in the street he was quick to turn away.

He was avoiding you, that much was clear. He had made a split-second decision the night he left. A decision to protect you from him because he truly thought he was an obstruction to your happiness. If only he could realise he was the very object of it.

When there was no getting through to Arthur, let alone even being able to speak with him, you turned to Mr Jaggers.

“Thank you for bringing this to my attention Mr y/l/n. I knew Mr Compeyson was nothing but trouble, I only wish I had seen Arthur’s hand in all this sooner.”

You were quick to jump in, quick to defend. “He made a mistake. He was angry and bitter but he never meant to hurt Amelia like this.”

Jaggers nodded his head slowly. “I know, Mr y/l/n. Believe me, as much as I may despise Arthur at times I know his love for his sister is as true as his love for you.”

It was no secret to you that Jaggers already knew about you and Arthur. He’d known since before even Arthur’s late father found out. Not that you had ever told Arthur that, he would only worry after all.

When Jaggers came to know about the two of you, rather than come to you with threats, he simply asked you to keep your business with Arthur private, for the sake of the Havisham name and your own. It was a sentiment you were as grateful for then as you are now.

“There must be something we can do. The wedding is tomorrow but Arthur will not even speak to me.”

“I will talk to him but if you hear nothing by tomorrow; please, go to the wedding. Amelia deserves to have at least one of you by her side.”

Although the last thing you wanted to do was see Amelia married to a con man, you knew that without proof there was little you could do to stop her. If all else failed, you would be by her side every step of the way and you would find some way to make sure Mr Compeyson did right by Amelia, even after securing her fortune.

“I would not miss it for the world.”

𓆩♡𓆪

“Y/n?” Amelia smiled the moment she saw you come through the door, although you could tell she was surprised to see you. She had been expecting you to be at the church, of course, but it was unexpected for you to show up at her home before the carriage had even arrived.

You smiled as you took her in. She looked beautiful, as always, but there was a radiance unlike any other as she stood there in her wedding dress. She looked so happy, so excited, but it only caused a pit to burrow its way into your stomach.

“I’m sorry for coming unannounced. I just- I wanted to ask to walk you down the aisle, if you would allow me? Only if Arthur does not come, of course. I just thought that it should at least be one of us who gave you away.”

She beamed ever brighter and placed a gentle hand on your arm, squeezing gently. “I would love nothing more. Thank you.”

There was little else you could do. She was completely set in her ways, her heart belonged to Compeyson whether you approved of it or not. Still, if the con man wished to marry Amelia then he would do just that, you only hoped he was prepared to keep up the act for as long as he lived. Even if it was fake at least she would be happy, that was all that mattered now. You did not know if you could bear to see the agony it would bring if he left her after the wedding, fleeing with her fortune. You could not bear to see her left behind.

With no sign of Arthur or Mr Jaggers, you walked alongside Honoria as the two of you followed Amelia through the house on your way to the carriage. Before you could even reach the end of the hallway, however, you came face-to-face with the very person you had been searching for.

“Arthur?” you questioned, wondering what he and Jaggers had up their sleeve, and as you did so, you drew Amelia’s attention from her caught stocking and she looked up to the door.

“Meriwether?”

It was as though all air in the room was completely sucked out as you all stood there gaping, waiting for what was to happen next.

Compeyson looked beaten, his head hanging low with his eyes trained on the ground. He seemed completely and utterly defeated. Too embarrassed to even look Amelia in the eye as he muttered out a quiet ‘sorry’.

Jaggers was quick to step forward and dismiss the staff, locking eyes with you for only a second as you found yourselves alone in the ever-darkening atmosphere.

You furrowed your brows, turning your gaze to Arthur as he instructed Compeyson, “Give it to her.”

He was hesitant but then quickly walked up to Amelia, passing her what seemed to be a letter.

Honoria was quick to turn to you, her eyes silently communicating as if she were asking you if you knew what was going on. You shrugged slightly as you did not but that was not to say you had little idea of what was happening. They’d finally cornered him, most likely, and now Compeyson was to reveal everything he had done before finally walking out of everyone’s lives for good.

When Arthur urged her to read the note, Amelia did exactly that as she made her way into the dining room, taking a seat at the head of the table.

She sat and read for what felt like years as the rest of you stood waiting patiently — the closest people to her, her family, watching as she came undone.

“All a lie?” she finally spoke as she glanced up at Compeyson, “For my money?”

Compeyson turned to the rest of you then, addressing Arthur directly, “Leave us, please.”

“I will never leave you alone with my sister again,” he spoke snidely, expression smug yet sour as he stood firm.

All you could do was watch as Amelia stood from her chair and accused both Jaggers and Arthur of forcing him to write such lies. She was still infatuated, even now, and refused to believe the truth which had finally been handed to her.

The bickering only continued as Compeyson admitted his guilt, assuring Amelia that everything in the letter was the truth. He was only after her money, her fortune. That was all it ever had been, or so you all thought. It was only when Compeyson did something almost entirely unexpected that even you began to doubt his motives.

He offered to leave the money Arthur had offered him. The entire ten thousand pounds Amelia had bought his shares of the brewery with. More money than he would ever truly need, enough for him to start a business of his own and begin life anew. A small fortune he could use to live a life of luxury if he so wished, yet he was willing to leave it behind if only he could speak with Amelia.

To spin more lies, you tried to convince yourself, but you had seen love. You had felt it in your every fibre of being. You knew what it looked like and you recognised those eyes, knew the way in which he was now looking at Amelia.

“I am not to be bought!” she cried, her anger boiling over. She was not some price or precious porcelain doll, she was a woman who was capable of making her own decisions and thinking her own, independent thoughts.

Compeyson took the outburst as a direct attack and moved to take the money, seemingly giving up and simply wishing to be gone, but she ran after him. She hit him over and over in her pain, only stopping when she began to cry.

Honira was by her side in an instant, helping her to sit back at the head of the table, and all you could do was watch still as Compeyson stood frozen in place.

“Get out,” Arthur demanded.

“Everything in that letter is true,” Compeyson began as he approached her once again, “It is as cold and as spiteful as you believe it to be. Every moment, every second was contrived, bent to one purpose. To relieve you of the Havisham fortune.”

You moved to stand with Arthur, wishing to at least remind him you were there as everything continued to unfold. He moved to step away from you but you took his hand, keeping you by his side as Compeyson began to pour his heart out.

He confessed his love for Amelia then and there and, although you knew the man to be adept at spinning lies, every bone in your body was beginning to scream that he was speaking the truth.

Arthur tore his hand from yours and stepped forwards, folding his arms behind his back. “You’re already married.”

Then, Compeyson finally turned from Amelia and looked between both you and Arthur as he explained, “It was a marriage of convenience, nothing more. I would have freed myself from it.”

Amelia continued to cry, though she made a feeble attempt to stifle them, and it crushed your heart. You hated this, every moment of it, but she deserved to at least know the truth. She would have found out one way or another, after all.

“Fate throws people together in different ways.”

As he continued to express his feelings, you couldn’t help but look at Arthur, who was too busy watching with a stern scowl to notice your eyes were on him. For the first time, you felt yourself sympathising with Mr Compeyson for he was right, fate was often tricky like that.

No one gets to choose who they fall in love with, it is simply something that happens. It often comes as naturally as the rain or as quickly as lightning. Sometimes it takes time and sometimes it’s expected. More often than not, however, it is found in the places you least expect it.

And then it was Amelia who began to speak through her tears. She spoke of how she loved Compyson and how he once made her feel safe and warm and happy. How she trusted him fully and how he had now forsaken that trust and torn her heart in two.

He continued to beg and grovel but there was nothing more to be done and she told him to leave, wishing he would never return. The final blow, however, came when despite everything he had said, he still picked up the briefcase of money as he left.

Arthur and Jaggers followed behind to ensure he would leave but you remained with Amelia, refusing to step away from her side for even a second as she continued to crumble. You did not know what to say so you left the comforting to Honoria and hoped your presence was enough alone to bring her some comfort.

When Arthur returned, it was with a smile and a bottle of champagne as he exclaimed with arms open wide, “He’s gone, finally!”

You frowned, cursing him silently for being such a fool. Now was not time for a celebration, how could he not see that?

“You hated me that much?” Amelia asked with tear-filled eyes and Arthur suddenly seemed to shrink.

He lowered the bottle along with his head before looking up into his sister’s eyes. “I never meant for it to go this far, I swear it. I was just so angry… and I wanted to get back at you. When he came, he just twisted everything.”

You could hear the tremble in his voice, as though he realised now that things could not go back to how they had once been. Not now, not so soon.

Amelia huffed, “You all knew? Everybody knew.”

Jaggers shook his head, hoping to bring her some comfort when he corrected, “No. Not until today.”

Instinctively you moved closer to Arthur when he stepped towards his sister, eyes pleading as he spoke, “Don’t you see? He’s gone now. We can be together again, I can help you. We can do it together. Everything together as it should be.”

He was on his knees now, looking up at his elder sister with such devotion in his eyes. All he wanted was to make things right, to fix what he had broken.

“I’m your brother.” He smiled, hoping to show her he was being sincere.

The silence only lasted a moment as he looked down at him with nothing but sorrow in her eyes.

“I don’t have a brother.”

Just like that, his entire world came crashing back down and she looked away from him, asking us all to leave.

“Amelia…”

The moment her name fell so softly from his lips, she began to yell out in a fury, “Get him away from me! Get out! Get out!”

He backed up as she continued to scream, chasing all four of you out of the room as she began to weep again.

You all stopped outside where her screams continued to echo down the street. She was wailing now, you had never heard anything like it. You’d never seen such agony before.

When you touched a hand to Arthur’s back he flinched away. His wide, startled eyes bore into your own and then he was gone, rushing off down the street.

“Did you know?” Honoria questioned, “Did you know they were coming?”

Your head snapped to her, a pang of newfound guilt beginning to settle in. The look she gave you was one of such disgust, such disappointment. You did not know, not that they were going to come today and do… this. But you had known about Compeyson and that alone was enough to warrant the way she looked at you now.

“I- No. I… I knew Compyeson was… I’m sorry,” was all you could manage to say before you too were fleeing the scene. There was nothing more for you to do, not now. You’d return in a few days, allow Amelia some time to herself.

You did not know what to do so you walked. You walked for hours, until long after the sun had set — until you found yourself outside of the three cripples once again.

“Arthur?” you questioned as you looked up at the figure on the roof, coming to the dreadful realisation that it was the man you held most dear, “Arthur!”

He looked down at you and he stepped closer to the edge. He had been drinking, as you’d expected, but the last thing you had anticipated was to find him up there.

“Go away, y/n. It’s over. It’s all… It’s all over. She… She hates me, Amelia will never forgive me.”

Although you raised your voice, you tried to sound calm. You needed to keep him calm, to show him it was going to be okay. “She will Arthur, you just have to give her some time. Please, come down from there.”

He shut his eyes tight and shook his head and you could see the glistening of fresh tears against his cheeks. “I… I have nothing left…”

“You have me, Arthur. You’ll always have me. Always. Please, come down.”

You were growing more desperate now as the fear truly began to settle in. In truth, you did not know if Amelia would ever forgive him — if she’d ever forgive either of you — but you knew one thing. You knew that no matter what, you would love him. You would love him until the day you died. You couldn’t lose him, not now. Not like this.

His tears continued to fall but he moved back from the edge ever so slightly. “But—”

“No buts, Arthur. I will always be here. I’ll always love you so please, just come back down.”

Tears of your own threatened to spill as you watched on from below. If he decided to jump there would truly be nothing you could do.

He gulped and backed up again, moving closer to the window he had climbed out of. The breath you released when he finally began to climb back inside was so thick and heavy that you thought for a moment you had exhaled your entire soul.

Without a second to lose you ran inside and up the stairs, barging into his old lodgings within moments, and there he stood still in a daze. Even as you threw yourself at him, grabbing hold of him as if you were afraid to ever let go again.

Only then did you cry, once he was safely back in your arms. Your shoulders shook and you held him even tighter until, finally, he hugged you back.

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[wheels-of-despair]

Joseph Quinn Characters x Mediocre Valentine's Day Cards

[joesquinns]

JOSEPH QUINN as ARTHUR HAVISHAM in Dickensian

[kwistowee]

Happy Birthday, Joseph Quinn! January 26th, 1994

[josephquinngifs]

[pedgito]

JOSEPH QUINN as ARTHUR HAVISHAM

— Dickensian (2015)

[fyeaheddiemunson]

[ryan-waddell11]

MY FAVORITE OUTFIT REPEATER

[annoyingexboyfriend]

“Ok to be fair if a girl said that about me I would fold immediately. Still unhinged tho” you don’t get it

he’s so yummy and chewable

[keeryquinn]

He’s like a little puppy. I just want to give him a cuddle

[mythicalea]

I knew i saw that smile before 🫠🫠🫠

[fairyysoup]

click for better resolution

hi all, i made this ppt (for ppt night), specifically so my friends could learn about jq characters so they could write fics without having to watch every thing he's ever been in ever (a fine goal to be sure). As I too have not personally watched absolutely everything, I did extensive research and looked up detailed summaries of everything here so I could provide an overview, but there may still be errors and I apologize in advance!!

also a shoutout to @mypoisonedvine and @quinnsbower for creating and popularizing a name so good that it has been adopted into the fanon for the character and i included it in my crash course. amazing work besties

edit: I updated the billy knight slide to include more information and to remove a joke I felt was insensitive on that character's slide

[lovejoseph]

he is beauty, he is grace

[joesquinns]

JOSEPH QUINN as ARTHUR HAVISHAM in Dickensian

[kwistowee]

#hands JOSEPH QUINN as ARTHUR HAVISHAM DICKENSIAN | 1.03

[archivequinn]

Arthur Havisham.